After dedicating 42 years to building some of the industry’s most notable designs in custom swimming pools and spas, Kevin Sparks could have retired and lived out his days perfecting his golf swing or casting a fishing line in some seaside town. Instead, he poured his knowledge and know-how into creating a new line of hot tubs for an untapped market.
“I felt like the market was missing a good, quality spa that dealers could retail between $4,995 and $10,000,” says the McMinnville, Tennessee, entrepreneur. “It just wasn’t out there.”
Sparks cites COVID as the reason for disproportionately high prices that made hot tubs unattainable for much of middle-class America. So, he stepped in to make a hot tub with more comfortable pricing.
In 2023, he created Generation Hot Tubs to add to his legacy of brands, including Kevin Sparks Signature Pools and Four Winds Spas, which he sold in 2012.
But it wasn’t only affordability that was lacking. Sparks also listened closely to dealers’ concerns about common service issues. He focused on eliminating design elements that frequently lead to service calls — like diverter valves, air valves, and on/off valves for water features — to reduce the likelihood of mechanical problems and simplify the ownership experience.
“My end goal is to build the most [hassle-free] spa I can possibly build that dealers can put in a customer’s backyard and not have service calls all the time,” he says. “And that’s what we’re doing.”
Surgically removing pain points
Three product lines — the Classic Series, Legacy Series and Swimspas — range from a capacity of two to 12 people with black or graphite cabinet finishes, aiming to provide a product that customers can use effortlessly and dealers can stand behind because they don’t rely on overseas parts to operate.
In fact, Sparks says, any parts he can harvest from the United States are used in the 65,000-square-foot production plant, which is operated by less than 30 employees, including his daughter Lauren Womick, who serves as vice president of Generation Hot Tubs.
“It’s very much a family-run business, and it’s inspired by his grandkids and being able to provide and build something that can be passed through the generations,” Womick says, adding that her brother-in-law, Daniel Greeson, runs the hot tub plant.
Womick points to her father’s ability to listen to dealers and make hot tub models that address their needs as one of the company’s strongest qualities.
“The difference with us is it’s very much like, ‘What do you need, and we’ll build it,’ ” she says.
For example, the GH550 model was built specifically for Airbnb hosts and other renters with high turnover rates and people who may not be familiar with the controls on a hot tub.
“People can put these in the backyard, and they don’t have to worry about replacing valves every week, or somebody wanting their money back because [the hot tub] broke,” Sparks says. “It’s been a really big hit.”
He says the company’s willingness to fold customers’ requests into models and follow through on his promises is what makes it so successful.
“That’s the good thing about us — we can make a change on the fly,” he says. “I don’t have to go through 15 different engineers to make one little change. I have to go to me, and that’s it. And that’s why we do good business.”
Meanwhile, Womick believes their forte in catering to customers looking for simplicity is what sets them apart from competitors.
“There definitely is a part of our industry that craves and needs the technology,” she says. “I think we stay steadfast in simplicity for the customer who doesn’t want to have their phone to be able to use their spa; someone who doesn’t want to feel like they need to have a spa school to be able to completely run their spa.”
Practicality over mass production
When it comes to manufacturing, Sparks says they can produce up to 25 hot tubs a day, although they are not currently producing at that rate. Womick explains that they built the facility with the potential for expansion and didn’t want to be maxed out immediately.
Sparks adds that their plant is among the most environmentally friendly and does not require any special permits because they do not use fiberglass in their manufacturing process.
Although customers and dealers have been cautious during these uncertain economic times, Sparks says he is confident sales will continue to snowball. He adds he is already winning in an industry being hit by tariffs that force his competitors to pass along price increases to consumers.
As for what the future holds, Sparks intends to stay the course and keep adding new models to the lineup, such as the recent 12-person party spa addition.
And as the industry continues to change, Womick says Generation Hot Tubs will have a seat at the table, pushing the boundaries in developing hot tubs that make sense for today’s consumer. Although their models may have fewer bells and whistles, they will also guarantee fewer headaches and more affordability.
“The turning point was to say we’re going to do it differently,” Womick says. “Because everyone deserves to have a hot tub.”